Tristan Hughes

Megiddo is to be the setting of the final cataclysmic battle between good and evil, where the armies of the world shall gather, at least according to the Book of Revelation.

But Megiddo's story, it extends far further than its biblical significance.

Occupied for thousands of years from the Neolithic period right through the Bronze Age and Iron Age, before its final abandonment just over 2,000 years ago, this site was a key centre for trade, politics and military affairs in the ancient Levant, owing to its position on a crossroads that linked Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia.

If that wasn't enough, in more recent times, Megiddo has achieved iconic status as an archaeological site, playing a key role in the birth of the modern discipline, and is still being excavated today.

Welcome to the Ancients.

I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, and this is the story of the real Armageddon, with Professor Eric Klein from the George Washington University.

Eric is the author of Digging Up Armageddon, The Search for the Lost City.

Eric, welcome back to the show.

My pleasure.

Thank you for having me on.

As always now, it is now a tradition.

What tie are you wearing?

Absolutely.

And so first things first, Eric, Armageddon, it's not just a thing, it's a place.

Love it.

And so basically this is a site now from archaeology that we're learning, we're continuing to learn more about.

So it isn't just that it is a place, it's a place that actually there is extensive information coming out of the ground about.

Because we had just done the Trojan War as well, and that's many different layers of city settlements there.

Eric, the majority of this chat, we will focus on the archaeology and what's actually been discovered at Megiddo.

But we have to start off with biblical Armageddon.